Yesterday proved to me that there truly is NEVER a dull moment in the PICU. I had my same two boys I talked about in the walking around post. And while in the morning I got a bunch of stuff done(ie: homework, research on the hardwood flooring we're putting in this summer, scheduling stuff etc.) because they boys were still sleeping, the afternoon definitely took a turn!
While I was supposed to be getting stuff ready for my little one to be discharged home, he decided he had other plans. He decided instead that he wanted to stop breathing and desat ( = your oxygen levels should be 100%...his was 70%!). It ended up in a bunch of excitement, me almost pushing the code button (but I didn't b/c the doc got to me SUPER quick after I stat paged him- props to you!!) but ultimately ended ok. The patient is fine, he just bought himself more time on his bipap machine ( pushes high pressure air in when you breath, and if you breath slower than a set rate, it will give you breaths)...and consequently more days in the PICU.
Just goes to show me that even though my assignment may seem boring, or like I am not doing much nursing that day, I always need to be on the ready. Anything can happen....patient's that look great can change on a dime. And I was ready! The adrenaline that comes with stuff like that is definitely what keeps me going....especially that day because Jon and I both woke up at 3am that morning! I was certainly not tired the rest of the evening...until I got home and crashed! But at the end of the day I could be proud that I was attentive to my patient, noticed his status was changing quickly and acted upon it. In the end, it was a great thing he hadn't gone home a little bit earlier as he was supposed to....the outcome might not been quite as great! I definitely believe that all things happen for a reason....this is one thing that helps prove that!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
Happy Mother's Day to my mom, to my friends that are moms, to the moms to be, and to those wishing to be moms soon! I hope that you all enjoy this day thoroughly and are able to do something fun....something relaxing...something you truly enjoy. Please know that you are special and have a job like no other! You are not rewarded enough for what you do. You do not get the praise for the hard work that you put into raising your children. And yet, you continue to do this, tirelessly! So thank you!
And for the moms that are having to "celebrate" in the PICU today, my thoughts are with you. I pray that you feel the love your child has for you, the gratitude they have that you are with them by their side, holding their hand, wiping their tears. On a day that is supposed to be YOUR day, you make it about your child....truly this is what a mother is! I hope that come next mother's day you will be able to look back and be thankful for where life has led you....away from the PICU and to a happy home with a healthy child. But for those of you that may look back to this year as one of the last with your children, please know that I am praying for you... That your job of a mom is not forgotten or diminished with the passing of the child you raised. Thank you for all that you did...all that you do!
And for the moms that are having to "celebrate" in the PICU today, my thoughts are with you. I pray that you feel the love your child has for you, the gratitude they have that you are with them by their side, holding their hand, wiping their tears. On a day that is supposed to be YOUR day, you make it about your child....truly this is what a mother is! I hope that come next mother's day you will be able to look back and be thankful for where life has led you....away from the PICU and to a happy home with a healthy child. But for those of you that may look back to this year as one of the last with your children, please know that I am praying for you... That your job of a mom is not forgotten or diminished with the passing of the child you raised. Thank you for all that you did...all that you do!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Taking a Walk
I had a great day at work yesterday. In the craziness all around me (ie: surgery being performed in the room because the kid was too sick to make the trip down the hall to the OR, the code happening for almost two hours on a kid who was almost "floor status!", and the kid bleeding profusely but unable to find out from where), I had a serene, peaceful assignment!
Now on some days, I would want those other crazy assignments...I do work in the PICU afterall and love the adrenaline and excitement that comes with it. But yesterday was a nice change of pace from the last two weeks or so where I've had my fair share of the busyness!
So yesterday my job consisted on taking both my kiddos (15months and 15 years old) on walks...over and over and over. If I ever create a hospital I would make a scenic track around the ICU for the few kids that actually do get to go out and walk around the unit because let me tell ya, hospital hallways are pretty boring! If it had been nice out, we could have gone down to the courtyard...but of course it was nasty, windy and rainy : (
So we made the figure eight walk about a dozen times. Every time the 15 month old got into his stroller, he knew he was going for a walk and started laughing! SO cute!! People in the halls kept laughing at me saying I wasn't really working (umm, yes, this is my job today...not much nursing required, but it's keeping him happy!)...and several people said I looked like a mom pushing her son in the park (aww, that was kinda nice...and pushed myself into a deeper case of baby fever!)
And I figure I got another workout in for the day which is always a bonus! So glad I have this weekend off (last one before Jon starts at his new job!!), but am glad that on a typical crazy Friday in the PICU, I had a nice, peaceful, easy assignment!
Now on some days, I would want those other crazy assignments...I do work in the PICU afterall and love the adrenaline and excitement that comes with it. But yesterday was a nice change of pace from the last two weeks or so where I've had my fair share of the busyness!
So yesterday my job consisted on taking both my kiddos (15months and 15 years old) on walks...over and over and over. If I ever create a hospital I would make a scenic track around the ICU for the few kids that actually do get to go out and walk around the unit because let me tell ya, hospital hallways are pretty boring! If it had been nice out, we could have gone down to the courtyard...but of course it was nasty, windy and rainy : (
So we made the figure eight walk about a dozen times. Every time the 15 month old got into his stroller, he knew he was going for a walk and started laughing! SO cute!! People in the halls kept laughing at me saying I wasn't really working (umm, yes, this is my job today...not much nursing required, but it's keeping him happy!)...and several people said I looked like a mom pushing her son in the park (aww, that was kinda nice...and pushed myself into a deeper case of baby fever!)
And I figure I got another workout in for the day which is always a bonus! So glad I have this weekend off (last one before Jon starts at his new job!!), but am glad that on a typical crazy Friday in the PICU, I had a nice, peaceful, easy assignment!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I love my job!!
Or the flexibility of my job I should say!
I love that I worked "full time" 38 hrs last week and yet still had a 4 day weekend! Tomorrow is the last day of those 4 and while I'm not super ready to get back to work Tuesday, it is SO nice to be able to have so many days off!
In the last four days Jon and I have gotten tons accomplished: purchased our new wicker patio furniture, placed our cabinet pulls in the kitchen, cleaned the house, done 3 insanity workouts, gone to church, and caught up on some tivo!
And we've had TONS of fun...eating out with friends, watching movies, taking walks, drinking wine, making/grilling dinner together, and just relaxing!
There are not many jobs out there that have this kind of freedom. ..Just one of the many reasons that I LOVE being a PICU nurse : )
I love that I worked "full time" 38 hrs last week and yet still had a 4 day weekend! Tomorrow is the last day of those 4 and while I'm not super ready to get back to work Tuesday, it is SO nice to be able to have so many days off!
In the last four days Jon and I have gotten tons accomplished: purchased our new wicker patio furniture, placed our cabinet pulls in the kitchen, cleaned the house, done 3 insanity workouts, gone to church, and caught up on some tivo!
And we've had TONS of fun...eating out with friends, watching movies, taking walks, drinking wine, making/grilling dinner together, and just relaxing!
There are not many jobs out there that have this kind of freedom. ..Just one of the many reasons that I LOVE being a PICU nurse : )
Friday, April 30, 2010
I was Abused!
I was abused yesterday by my patient's parents. Not physically abused, but definitely verbally. But I'm not taking it personally. There are many reasons for this:
1.) I am confident that I am a good, if not great, nurse!
2.) These parents were not put together in their heads
3.) They did this to everyone that walked into their room....docs would peek in and ask me to step out...only to ask "Is mom in there?" What they were really getting at was "I'll just come back when she's not here b/c I'm not dealing with THAT crazy lady!"
But here's the problem. Their child was floor status....this means, they are not really sick (yes, they are SICK, but not PICU sick!) In theory, if the patient was on the floor, that nurse would go in the room once every 4 hours to check on them. So tell me why it's acceptable for these parents to think it's my job and personal responsibility to stay in the kids room....all day. Even when I told them I had another "Very sick" patient to take care of!
Parents just don't get it sometimes! And nurses are the ones that get the brunt of it....sometimes b/c the docs are too timid to deal with it. Sometimes it's simply b/c we're there at the bedside for almost 13 hours at a time. But either way it is DRAINING!!
At the end of the day, these were some of the things I was told (that I remember-there were too many hits to recall each one!):
1.) I am "cold hearted"
2.) I do not know how to identify pain in a baby (correction, YOU don't know how to identify pain in your child....a sleeping baby is NOT a baby in pain!!)
3.) It's a good thing that I "Started out at the bottom" and am still here...eventually I can "Work my way up to the floors" (hello, does this dad know what we DO in the PICU??? They are the sickest of the sick!)
and 4.) I didn't care for the baby while the parents were gone, I just "strapped him down to the bed" (correction, that's called swaddling....babies love it! that's why when you walked into the room he was sleeping = comfortable = not in pain!)
So when I got home, legs throbbing from not sitting all day and head hurting from not drinking water or eating much all day, it was a welcomed surprise to find Jonathan had wine and cheese set out for me....put us on the couch to talk about my day....and an amazing leg/foot massage! Ahh, this nurse is married to the best man in the world!
1.) I am confident that I am a good, if not great, nurse!
2.) These parents were not put together in their heads
3.) They did this to everyone that walked into their room....docs would peek in and ask me to step out...only to ask "Is mom in there?" What they were really getting at was "I'll just come back when she's not here b/c I'm not dealing with THAT crazy lady!"
But here's the problem. Their child was floor status....this means, they are not really sick (yes, they are SICK, but not PICU sick!) In theory, if the patient was on the floor, that nurse would go in the room once every 4 hours to check on them. So tell me why it's acceptable for these parents to think it's my job and personal responsibility to stay in the kids room....all day. Even when I told them I had another "Very sick" patient to take care of!
Parents just don't get it sometimes! And nurses are the ones that get the brunt of it....sometimes b/c the docs are too timid to deal with it. Sometimes it's simply b/c we're there at the bedside for almost 13 hours at a time. But either way it is DRAINING!!
At the end of the day, these were some of the things I was told (that I remember-there were too many hits to recall each one!):
1.) I am "cold hearted"
2.) I do not know how to identify pain in a baby (correction, YOU don't know how to identify pain in your child....a sleeping baby is NOT a baby in pain!!)
3.) It's a good thing that I "Started out at the bottom" and am still here...eventually I can "Work my way up to the floors" (hello, does this dad know what we DO in the PICU??? They are the sickest of the sick!)
and 4.) I didn't care for the baby while the parents were gone, I just "strapped him down to the bed" (correction, that's called swaddling....babies love it! that's why when you walked into the room he was sleeping = comfortable = not in pain!)
So when I got home, legs throbbing from not sitting all day and head hurting from not drinking water or eating much all day, it was a welcomed surprise to find Jonathan had wine and cheese set out for me....put us on the couch to talk about my day....and an amazing leg/foot massage! Ahh, this nurse is married to the best man in the world!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sexuality on TV
I just completed a 12 page paper on the effects that sexuality portrayed on tv has on adolescents. I have to say it was a pretty easy paper to write, and definitely got me thinking! Part of the paper was to compare two tv shows that were popular among adolescents today- one "good" example and one "bad" example.
Let me just tell you...coming up with the "bad" example was EASY!! Shows like 90210, Gossip Girl, Secret Life of a Teenager, 16 and Pregnant all jump out at you immediately! Your "everyday" high schooler walking around having sex, sexting, getting into clubs, drinking, getting pregnant, smoking and doing drugs etc. etc. etc. is glamorized and made to look completely normal.
The "good" example was not so easy...ok it was actually really hard! In fact, the ONLY thing I could come up with was Hannah Montana....which I had to REALLY had to prove was targeted for an adolescent audience rather than 8 year olds. I realized when my best argument was "Jon and I tivo it, so if you average our ages with the much younger crowd that also tivos it, it equals an adolescent" I was in trouble (oh wow, did I really just admit that here!?)
So in writing the paper, I was amazed...appalled really...at the incredible amount of sexuality shown on TV. My "bad" example paragraphs (which I ultimately went for Glee because it is a newer show and appears harmless on the outside!) had to be tamed down because literally I found an example of explicit sexuality on EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE!
Which got me thinking: how in the world am I going to raise children with this going on!? For those of you that know me, I really want kids....like last summer! But with school and work, we're waiting. However, I'm thinking the longer we wait, the more I may be freaked out at the actual raising of my children. Don't get me wrong, I want little Isabella and Isaiah (the twins that I'm hoping, praying, pleading that we have : ) badly....I just wish we could skip from age 10 to 21 or so.
Sex is everywhere. On TV. On the radio. Coming from the windows in our neighborhood! So how do we protect our little angels from this?? How do we get them through the awkward phase of adolescents and into adulthood without promiscuity and sex being "completely normal?" I'm obviously asking this hypothetically, but seriously? Parents have a really hard job these days! Not only are we trying to give our little girls love and attention, we're trying to help them not be complete ho's! And we're trying to keep our little guys away from the ho's that are lurking throughout the high school hallways!
It's crazy that sex is out there, rampant...just waiting for teens to take it and run. I know it's not realistic to think that my little ones are going to be totally sheltered and protected from it...nor do I want them to be completely! There is something to be said about exposure to small quantities to certain bugs and bacteria that help to increase our immune system- see, I'm a nurse through and through!
I guess as Jon and I do have little Bella and Ze (please God, please!) we will learn these lessons more and more. And I look forward to that day....but cringe as well! All I know is they better be singing the lyrics to Beyonce's "Put a Ring on It" before they have sex (although I'm saying two rings!) rather than Rihanna's "Rude Boy!"
Let me just tell you...coming up with the "bad" example was EASY!! Shows like 90210, Gossip Girl, Secret Life of a Teenager, 16 and Pregnant all jump out at you immediately! Your "everyday" high schooler walking around having sex, sexting, getting into clubs, drinking, getting pregnant, smoking and doing drugs etc. etc. etc. is glamorized and made to look completely normal.
The "good" example was not so easy...ok it was actually really hard! In fact, the ONLY thing I could come up with was Hannah Montana....which I had to REALLY had to prove was targeted for an adolescent audience rather than 8 year olds. I realized when my best argument was "Jon and I tivo it, so if you average our ages with the much younger crowd that also tivos it, it equals an adolescent" I was in trouble (oh wow, did I really just admit that here!?)
So in writing the paper, I was amazed...appalled really...at the incredible amount of sexuality shown on TV. My "bad" example paragraphs (which I ultimately went for Glee because it is a newer show and appears harmless on the outside!) had to be tamed down because literally I found an example of explicit sexuality on EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE!
Which got me thinking: how in the world am I going to raise children with this going on!? For those of you that know me, I really want kids....like last summer! But with school and work, we're waiting. However, I'm thinking the longer we wait, the more I may be freaked out at the actual raising of my children. Don't get me wrong, I want little Isabella and Isaiah (the twins that I'm hoping, praying, pleading that we have : ) badly....I just wish we could skip from age 10 to 21 or so.
Sex is everywhere. On TV. On the radio. Coming from the windows in our neighborhood! So how do we protect our little angels from this?? How do we get them through the awkward phase of adolescents and into adulthood without promiscuity and sex being "completely normal?" I'm obviously asking this hypothetically, but seriously? Parents have a really hard job these days! Not only are we trying to give our little girls love and attention, we're trying to help them not be complete ho's! And we're trying to keep our little guys away from the ho's that are lurking throughout the high school hallways!
It's crazy that sex is out there, rampant...just waiting for teens to take it and run. I know it's not realistic to think that my little ones are going to be totally sheltered and protected from it...nor do I want them to be completely! There is something to be said about exposure to small quantities to certain bugs and bacteria that help to increase our immune system- see, I'm a nurse through and through!
I guess as Jon and I do have little Bella and Ze (please God, please!) we will learn these lessons more and more. And I look forward to that day....but cringe as well! All I know is they better be singing the lyrics to Beyonce's "Put a Ring on It" before they have sex (although I'm saying two rings!) rather than Rihanna's "Rude Boy!"
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Doozy of a Day- parts 1, 2, & 3!
Today was certainly a doozy (do people still say that!?)! In short, part one: my patient dies. part two: lesbian parents chew me out while breaking the rules. part three: best admission ever!!!
Being true to myself, I cannot just end the day's blog that way....but in a nutshell that really was how my day went! Here's the breakdown for all of you interested in details though!
1.) I was assigned to the patient right next to where I was assigned yesterday....the crash cart was out and the patient looked sick (REALLY sick!). So I kinda pawned him (the sick patient) off to the nurse assigned to the kid I had yesterday so I could take him (my kid from yesterday) back...following!? Anyways, the really sick kid was really sick....so I felt bad for trying to change assignments and ended up in the room all morning anyways. The family was called in and they were amazing. If there is ever a way to prepare yourself for your child dying, this family found a way. This child lived a very hard six years of life and at the end the parents were completely supportive of one another, and the fact that their child was facing the end of life. He passed away, beautifully, peacefully. There are some deaths where a calm just washes over you and this was one of them....the parents wanted it that way...this little one's suffering and trials were now over....he could go dance, and sing, and run around in the fields of heaven!
2.) Next up was my patient (same one as yesterday) who I continued to take care of. His mom's both came in and refused to wear the isolation gowns and gloves we require when kids have certain bugs (ie: MRSA, CDIFF, VRE etc.). They told me (not so nicely, not so calmly) that they were refusing to wear any isolation stuff and that they "put that behind them when they left the NICU." I told them this was not something that they could refuse....to which they replied "Well, you're never getting me in one of those things so you can just put that in your charting!" Alrighty then!
What bugs me most about the whole scenario (b/c really, we have tons of parents that give us a hard time about isolation!) was both mom's have told me several times over the past two days that they are nurses!! HELLO!!! Either 1.) you are lying to me....you really take care of your kid at home and really just consider yourself a nurse....or 2.) you are a nurse and suck at following basic rules put to protect the patient, yourself and all the other patients!! Either way....super frustrating!!
3.) And finally....my super cute admission. He came walking in....yes, welcome to the PICU ladies and gentlemen....walking in asking "Where is the playroom?" He then informs me as I'm hooking him up to our monitors that "That one is to monitor my heart. The heart pumps blood to the entire body. Some of it has oxygen in it because we breath oxygen. And earth is the planet that we live on!" This kid was so witty, so funny, and super cute!! He had a trach in which made his voice slightly hard to understand, but that much cuter!! He then proceeded to say, "I have a joke for you. What do you get when you add Band-Aid plus Sticker?" I told him I have no idea!! He laughed "Band-Aid Sticker...get it??? It's a joke!! I'm so funny!!" Totally didn't get it, but the kid really was funny....and I know my story isn't doing it justice but putting up a video of him would totally violate HIPPA!!
So I left work (on time, go figure!) feeling a little overwhelmed but very fulfilled....I was able to care for each of these patients in such different ways...and each of them gave me something different in return!
Being true to myself, I cannot just end the day's blog that way....but in a nutshell that really was how my day went! Here's the breakdown for all of you interested in details though!
1.) I was assigned to the patient right next to where I was assigned yesterday....the crash cart was out and the patient looked sick (REALLY sick!). So I kinda pawned him (the sick patient) off to the nurse assigned to the kid I had yesterday so I could take him (my kid from yesterday) back...following!? Anyways, the really sick kid was really sick....so I felt bad for trying to change assignments and ended up in the room all morning anyways. The family was called in and they were amazing. If there is ever a way to prepare yourself for your child dying, this family found a way. This child lived a very hard six years of life and at the end the parents were completely supportive of one another, and the fact that their child was facing the end of life. He passed away, beautifully, peacefully. There are some deaths where a calm just washes over you and this was one of them....the parents wanted it that way...this little one's suffering and trials were now over....he could go dance, and sing, and run around in the fields of heaven!
2.) Next up was my patient (same one as yesterday) who I continued to take care of. His mom's both came in and refused to wear the isolation gowns and gloves we require when kids have certain bugs (ie: MRSA, CDIFF, VRE etc.). They told me (not so nicely, not so calmly) that they were refusing to wear any isolation stuff and that they "put that behind them when they left the NICU." I told them this was not something that they could refuse....to which they replied "Well, you're never getting me in one of those things so you can just put that in your charting!" Alrighty then!
What bugs me most about the whole scenario (b/c really, we have tons of parents that give us a hard time about isolation!) was both mom's have told me several times over the past two days that they are nurses!! HELLO!!! Either 1.) you are lying to me....you really take care of your kid at home and really just consider yourself a nurse....or 2.) you are a nurse and suck at following basic rules put to protect the patient, yourself and all the other patients!! Either way....super frustrating!!
3.) And finally....my super cute admission. He came walking in....yes, welcome to the PICU ladies and gentlemen....walking in asking "Where is the playroom?" He then informs me as I'm hooking him up to our monitors that "That one is to monitor my heart. The heart pumps blood to the entire body. Some of it has oxygen in it because we breath oxygen. And earth is the planet that we live on!" This kid was so witty, so funny, and super cute!! He had a trach in which made his voice slightly hard to understand, but that much cuter!! He then proceeded to say, "I have a joke for you. What do you get when you add Band-Aid plus Sticker?" I told him I have no idea!! He laughed "Band-Aid Sticker...get it??? It's a joke!! I'm so funny!!" Totally didn't get it, but the kid really was funny....and I know my story isn't doing it justice but putting up a video of him would totally violate HIPPA!!
So I left work (on time, go figure!) feeling a little overwhelmed but very fulfilled....I was able to care for each of these patients in such different ways...and each of them gave me something different in return!
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